Lomopedia: Minolta XG-E

Another trusty 35mm SLR camera from the late 1970s, the Minolta XG-E was the first model in the XG series produced by Minolta until the early 1980s. Find out more about this analogue beauty in this installment of Lomopedia!

Launched in 1977, the Minolta XG-E (also known as XG-7 in the USA and Canada, and XG-2 in Europe and elsewhere) was the first model in the XG series of budget 35mm automatic exposure SLR cameras which were lightweight, small, and easy to use. Its introduction coincided with the release of the more advanced Minolta XD series, and thus, the served as a more affordable affordable autoexposure option.

Aside from its considerably more compact body and more advanced electronics, the XG-E was also noted for being the first SLR camera to have a touch-sensor meter switch — with is the shutter button itself. The XG-E has an aperture priority mode (“A”) and non-metered manual mode. Metering is activated by half-pressing the shutter button, and the viewfinder shows the shutter speed (from 1s to 1/1000s) selected by the camera with a red LED indicator. If the shutter speed required by a shooting condition is faster than 1/1000s, the camera will not fire to prevent overexposure.

Auto-exposure control: Special low-voltage, low-current computer circuit, actuated by contact or pressure on “touch switch” operating button, varies the shutter speed continuously and steplessly to yield proper exposure according to metering system indication at the aperture, film speed, and exposure adjustment set

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